Number of Jobless Californians Rising at State, Local Level

Sonoma County’s unemployment rate jumped to 10.3 percent in July, up from 10.1 in June and 9.4 percent in May, according to recent numbers released by the Economic Development Department.

But a breakdown of unemployment rates broken down by Sonoma County cities shows Sonoma's jobless population, though not low, is lower than most. Sonoma had a 8.4 percent unemployment rate, while Petaluma came in at 9.4 percent, Sebastopol at 6.7, Rohnert Park at 10.1 and Windsor at 9.2. Healdsburg and Santa Rosa were higher than Rohnert Park, at 11.8 and 10.3, respectively.

In California, overall unemployment statewide climbed to 12 percent — the second highest nationwide, only surpassed by Nevada — up from 11.8 percent in June, recent data show. The number of Californians employed in July was 15,848,000 — a loss of 62,000 over just a one-month period.

According to a recent article from California Watch, joblessness impacts some demographic groups more.

“For non-white workers, unemployment over the past year has increased, from 12.4 percent to 13.4 percent. Whereas 11.6 percent of whites were out of work in July, 14.3 percent of Hispanics and 20.3 percent of blacks were unemployed,” California Watch reported.

Furthermore, one out of three Californians that were unemployed a year ago remain without a job today.

"Over the past year, the number of people unemployed a year or more grew 18.8 percent," the article stated.

So, what do these numbers mean? Have you lost a job in the recession? Have you lost a home or been forced to make life sacrifices? We'd love to hear from you. Let us know how you've been impacted by sending an email to Alexis Fitts at alexis.fitts@patch.com or by calling 707-889-0796.